Joseph Adama

03/05/2010

SPOILER ALERT!! - Rival industrialist Tomas Vergis arrives on Caprica demanding a meeting with Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), threatening to reveal proof that Daniel stole the chip that is key to the U-87 Cylon and Graystone's military contract. Vergis whirls up a publicity storm that steals the heart of the Caprican public, and surprisingly serves up a friendly offer to Daniel that could save Graystone Industries. But there's a catch to his proposal that could haunt Daniel for years to come.

Lacy (Magda Apanowicz) has no idea what lies ahead, but she is determined to remain a loyal friend to Zoe. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

Sister Clarice (Polly Walker), panicked that off-world STO leadership has been backing a rogue named Barnabas Greeley (James Marsters), steps up her plans to acquire Zoe Graystone's (Alessandtra Torresani) avatar program...and may find her answer through befriending Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson). Meanwhile, wanting to fulfill her own promise to Zoe. Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz) goes with Keon (Liam Sproule) to meet the enigmatic Barnabas, opening herself up to a new world of danger.

Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) continues to follow his heart when it comes to his daughter. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

After the revelation that the avatar of his daughter Tamara (Genevieve Buechner) is still lost in V-World, Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) starts his quest to find her in a virtual world he knows nothing about. Know Thy Enemy airs Friday, March 5th @ 9:00 p.m. EST on the Syfy Channel.

02/25/2010

SPOILER ALERT!! - After his public promise to forgo future holoband profits, Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) finds himself fighting for his professional life.

Tamara Adama (Genevieve Buechner) becomes acquainted with some fellow avatars, which is not necessarily a good thing. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

The avatar of Tamara Adama (Genevieve Buechner) wanders scared and lost in the V-World, unaware that she died nearly a month ago in the MagLev bombing. Falling in with a group of gamers, Tamara discovers a new side to the V-World...New Cap City, a world of escape where people live alternate lives of violence and crime in search of the game's elusive meaning. Forced into aiding a digital crime spree, Tamara befriends a young gamer and discovers a devastating secret that threatens everything she knows.

Willie's (Sina Najafi) weekend with his father does not go exactly as planned. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), realizing that he hasn't been emotionally present for Willie's (Sina Najafi) grief, tries an impromptu fishing trip to bond with his son. The trip reveals new layers of torment for Willie and leads Joseph to conclude that, for both their sakes, he may need hs Tauron roots more than he realized. There Is Another Sky airs Friday, February 26th @ 9:00 p.m. EST on The Syfy Channel.

02/23/2010

Caprica co-creator/executive producer David Eick. Photo by Chris Haston and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

Paula Malcomson as Caprica's Amanda Graystone. Photo by Joe Pugliese and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

On January 22nd, 2010, the long-awaited Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica premiered on The Syfy Channel. A few days before, series co-creator/executive producer David Eick and cast member Paula Malcomson, who portrays Amanda Graystone, spent some time on the phone speaking with myself as well as several other journalists about the series. The following is an edited version of our conversation. Enjoy!

Can you talk about the intention to make Caprica different from Battlestar Galactica, because it definitely has a whole different feel to it.

DAVID EICK - I think we're very intently committed to the idea that this show stand on its own, and that it not in any way feel like an echo, a descendent or an extension of Battlestar Galactica. You'll note that the title is not Battlestar Galactica Caprica, but simply Caprica. The relationship that it has to Battlestar is purely inconsequential. It's kind of in an Easter egg sense of fun for the fans and audience that followed Battlestar Galactica. However, if you never saw a lick of that show, it will have no impact on your ability to really get involved in and relate to the characters as well as the drama that we're doing on Caprica.

People can pretty much watch Caprica in a lot of different places other than on the Syfy Channel, such as on-line. Is that part of your design or does that come from the network?

DE - Well, it was a network design, but I believe - and I'm not certain about this - that it's a release strategy or a distribution strategy that other networks have tried as well. I think Glee may have done something like this where the pilot premiered and after a period of time went by, the pilot re-premiered as a launch to the TV series. So I think in a multi-platform universe as it were, where people are consuming dramatic material on their televisions, DVD players and the Internet, it's really kind of smart and ahead of the game to figure out new and unorthodox ways to launch a TV show. But, yes, that was definitely the network's call and we were happy to get onboard. In fact, it gave us an excuse to spend even more money on the pilot, and the version that ultimately aired was sort of tricked out with a bunch of new shots and visual effects as well as a couple of scenes we even re-shot. So it's been worth it all around.

Paula, it seems from watching the first few episodes that your character has a lot of really tough moments to play, and she makes a lot of choices that might make her unsympathetic in the eyes of a lot of viewers. I'm wondering how you struggled with portraying that and making her a likeable character?

PAULA MALCOLMSON - It's definitely something that occurs to you in the back of your mind, but as an actor you have to sort of put aside your own judgements in terms of whether your character is necessarily good or bad. I think being a good actor is sort of understanding the complexity of the human psyche and also knowing that none of us are perfect. So it was tough and I did think about it, particularly that many people would perhaps find Amanda unsympathetic. I just really tried to tap into the character's loss and pain as well as the fact that she has made mistakes and then go from there, you know?

DE - I would also add that I don't think in the sort of canon of this show or shows like it, that there's a tremendous amount of concern for what I would call old-fashioned television tropes-like sympathetic characters. I think audiences want challenging characters and ones who are neither black or white but somewhere in the middle and who are going to challenge the audience's expectation in every way. One of the reasons that Paula plays her character so well is that you're never quite sure what to expect from her. And there are times when you expect her to maybe lose it, but, in fact, she completely holds it together and vice versa. I think that's human and real and part of what I think is the hallmark of the show.

David, how much impact did female viewership play in not setting the series in space or relying heavily on space scenes?

DE - Most of the people I spoke to about Battlestar in terms of the fan base were women, so the empirical demographic breakdown of the audience is something that I just chose to keep at bay and not pay a lot of attention to. So I never really think in terms of gearing a show towards a particular audience. In more general terms, yes, I do recognize the fact that perhaps a female audience might be more inclined to watch a story that's more of a soap operatic kind of melodrama and without the accompanying visual sort of ghetto and spaceships and outer space. Something like that might have more accessibility to a female audience just because of that generalization. But that was never a motivation for not setting Caprica in space. The motivation was to make it as different and unique from Battlestar as possible.

David, when you guys did Battlestar Galactica, you and Ron Moore (Caprica co-creator and executive producer) talked about how the plot of the show evolved organically instead of having everything mapped out in a specific direction. Based on your experience, have you changed that creative process, and if not, why have you stuck with that mentality?

DE -Ron Moore and I had a number of discussions about this very early on. We come from very different backgrounds in terms of how writers' rooms are run. On Star Trek - and I heard all this third hand and cannot confirm any of it - but presumably the outline process takes place in the room. It's very precise, very detailed. There's not a lot of jazz or improvisation invited or tolerated, and it's almost a military-like environment. That's not to say that the work was any less good, it's just that it was run with that level of discipline and structured parameters. I've worked with other writers and producers in a variety of different capacities and there was a much looser environment where young writers were encouraged to come up with ideas and contribute. You might throw some suggestions out, and you might find others brilliant. The downside of that is you would sometimes have an episode that didn't work.

So I think we wanted to sort of combine the best of both these [writing] environments. When it came to how the writers' room was run on Battlestar, and then later on Caprica, it's about having a structure or large picture plan usually concocted by me and Ron during the hiatus. That would then be delivered to the writing staff and everyone was encouraged to improvise and add and subtract and change and go crazy and just sort of create an environment where there are no bad ideas. If then we lost our way, we'd circle back to where we really wanted to go. So it really is a combination of running a tight ship and yet allowing for there to be a great deal of improvisation and changes on the fly, purely with the intent of developing the best ideas.

PM - That applies on-set with the actors as well in terms of loosely dealing with the script, so when a surprise or something interesting comes up, we have the luxury to be able to follow that instinct. It's really the only way to work as far as I'm concerned, otherwise there are no surprises and it's boring, you know? Just the other day one of the directors said to me, "I never know what you're going to do," and I said, "Neither do I." There's just something amazing and beautiful about that, and hopefully it works.

Paula, could you tell is a little bit about how you first became involved in Caprica and about your audition process for the role?

PM - I met with Jeffrey Reiner, who directed the pilot, and I hit it off with him. He's very smart and a huge film buff, so he just seemed like the kind of director I wanted to work with. So it was first of all responding to the material, and then meeting Jeffrey. I initially auditioned for the role of Sister Clarice, but Jeffrey wanted to see me play Amanda. I was hesitant about that, though, because I didn't know if I could play that character. I was frightened of that, and I realized that that was a really good thing. Then I met David and Ron and everyone else involved. I think was the first person they cast, followed by Esai Morales [Joseph Adama], Eric Stolz [Daniel Graystone] and then Polly Walker [Sister Clarice], so I was delighted with the people who I'd be working with.

David, with the first season of the show almost wrapped, what maybe have you enjoyed most so far about bringing the Caprica story to life?

DE - Well, the biggest and most pleasant surprise was the one that we sort of didn't allow ourselves to dream could happen, which was to get as lucky as we did with this [acting] ensemble. That phrase about you're only as strong as your weakest link really applies when you're dealing with an ensemble cast. And so we were very fortunate to have such strength across the boards from such established and well-recognized actors like Paula, Polly Walker, Esai and Eric, combined with people like Sasha Roiz [Sam Adama], who were going to be brand new to an American audience and are able to hold their own. Those are things you can't plan for, you just have to hope. We got together in Lake Tahoe way back in January of last year to start breaking stories, so it wasn't for lack of planning when it came to aiming to make the show good in every way that we could control. But as hard as you might work on casting and such, you just never know until you get there, and we just got incredibly lucky with our cast and crew as well.

As noted above, photos by Chris Haston and Joe Pugliese and copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

02/18/2010

Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) thinks he may have made a terrible mistake, but is he in time to stop it? Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

SPOLILER ALERT!! - As the fallout from Zoe's (Alessandra Torresani) involvement in the MagLev bombing grows, Daniel (Eric Stoltz) prepares to defend himself and his company on the hugely popular talk show Backtalk with Baxter Sarno (Patton Oswalt). His plan to distance himself from Zoe finds him alienating his wife Amanda (Paula Malcomson), who is still reeling from her own public detractors. As Daniel steps in front of the camera for showtime, Amanda arrives at the studio, with no intention of staying backstage.

02/05/2010

Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) confronts Daniel Graystone (Eric Stolz) looking for some answers with regard to his daughter this week on Caprica. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

SPOILER ALERT!! - Following Amanda's (Paula Malcomson) public revelation that their daughter was responsible for the MagLev tragedy, the Graystones must face the wrath of angry Capricans. For Daniel (Eric Stoltz), this includes a confrontation with Sam (Sasha Roiz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), who demands that Daniel reunite him with his daughter's avatar - the essence of his daughter Tamara (Genevieve Buechner), living on in virtual space. Daniel also realizes he can't deal with his grief in private - this is all going to play out on a public stage.

Amanda (Paula Malcomson) moves forward with her own agenda. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

At the same time, Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torresani) adjusts to her Cylon form and hopes Lacy (Magda Apanowicz) will help her escape to neighboring colony Gemenon. Lacy is concerned, however, that she is arousing the suspicions of headmistress (and STO leader) Clarice Willow (Polly Walker). While in the V-World, the girls meet a frightened Tamara Adama who doesn't understand what she is or how she came to be here.

Sister Clarice (Polly Walker) has a quiet word with Lacy (Magda Apanowicz). Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

At the Global Defense Department, Agents Duram (Brian Markinson) and Youngblood escalate their efforts to track down the terrorist group responsible for the bombing. The Reins of a Waterfall airs Friday, February 5th @ 9:00 p.m. EST on The Syfy Channel.

Comedian/actor Patton Oswalt guest-stars this week on Caprica as Baxter Sarno. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

01/29/2010

SPOILER ALERT!! - In the wake of the MagLev bombing that killed his daughter Zoe (Alessandra Torresani), Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) plunges himself into his work not realizing that a part of her survived the explosion and is closer to him than he could imagine. Consumed with grief, Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson) is obsessed with discovering who her daughter really was, and slowly begins piecing together the details of Zoe's life.

Zoe, now trapped in the robotic Cylon body, turns to her friend Lacy (Magda Apanowicz) for help. At the same time, Headmistress Clarice Willow (Polly Walker) - a secret ring leader of the shadowy "Soldiers of the One terrorist group on Caprica - is also focused on Lacy, putting the girl under pressure from all sides.

At a memorial service for the victims of the trains disaster, Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) confronts Daniel about the loss of his own daughter. Before they can come to an understanding, they are interrupted by a stunning public announcement from Amanda, who is now convinced that Zoe played a part in the terrorist act. Rebirth airs Friday, January 29th @ 9:00 p.m. EST on The Syfy Channel.

01/21/2010

Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) decides to go down a path that will lead to disastrous consequences for humankind. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

SPOILER ALERT!! - On the vibrant world of Caprica, in a culture recognizably close to our own, two dynamic families - the Graystones and the Adamas - live separately on opposite ends of society until they are brought together by tragedy.

A shared tragedy brings together Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) and Daniel Graystone. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), a computer engineering genius, owns a large corporation that is spearheading the development of artificial intelligence. His unwavering professional pursuits are driven to extreme measures when personal tragedy strikes him and his wife Amanda (Paula Malcomson): their strong-willed daughter Zoe (Alessandra Torresani) dies in a terrorist bombing fueled by an underground religious dogma. Unbeknownst to her parents, the teenager had also been dabbling in these radical teachings, which were secretly propagated by her school's headmistress, Sister Clarice Willow (Polly Walker).

Also living on Caprica but deeply entrenched in a cultural heritage that sets them apart from the rest of civilization, is the Adama clan.The family is helmed by Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), a renowned criminal defense attorney - with questionable ties and sometimes-devious methods - and father to William (Sina Najafi) and Tamara (Genevieve Beuchner). When Joseph's wife and daughter perish in the same attack that befell Zoe Graystone. Joseph's path soon crosses Daniel's, and the two become united in their grief.

Could Zoe have been too smart for her own good? Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

Soon after, Daniel lets Joseph in on a sinister secret: he's discovered that Zoe, a computer genius in her own right, had been experimenting with perilous virtual reality technology along with her friend Lacy (Magda Apanowicz), and managed the impossible: she created a life-life avatar of herself, a perfect digital copy. Obsessed with the possbility of seeing his daughter once again, and preying on Joseph's shared emotions, Daniel implores his new confidante to help him make Zoe's vision a complete reality. Appalled by the ethical implications of re-creating a soul, but aching to bring his own daughter back to life. Joseph complies...and the fate of the human race is altered forever. Caprica's two-hour series premiere airs Friday, January 22nd @ 9:00 p.m. on The Syfy Channel.

As noted above, photos by Joe Pugliese or Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

08/17/2009

THE Syfy Channel has announced that celebrated comedian Patton Oswalt will guest-star on its highly-anticipated series Caprica, premiering January 22nd, 2010. Oswalt will play the role of Baxter Samo, the wildly popular Caprican comedian talk show host on whose show Daniel and Amanda Graystone (Eric Stoltz and Paula Malcomson, respectively) ultimately appear.
Humanity's storyline takes completely new twists with Caprica, which follows two rival families and their patriarchs - Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) - as they compete and thrive in the vibrant realm of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. This original, standalone series will feature the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, and family conflict in an omnipotent society that is at the height of its blind power and glory...and, unknowingly, on the brink of its fall. Caprica also stars Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Magda Apanowicz (Lacy) and Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone). The series is from Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson. Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed the pilot.
As a comedian, Oswalt has released three TV specials and two critically acclaimed albums. This month, his one-hour Comedy Central Special, My Weakness is Strong, will premiere on air as well as on DVD/CD through Warner Bros. records. Patton tours regularly and extensively, headlining both in the United States and the UK. A regular at music festivals like Bumbershoot, Bonaroo and Coachella, he has also made the jump to theaters, as well as performing/reading at events by McSweeney's and The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. He has a regular bi-monthly show at the new Largo at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles, and was also a regular fill-in host for Steve Jones on the nationally syndicated Jonesey's Jukebox on Indie 103.1.
A versatile performer, Oswalt has also appeared in more than 20 films including Magnolia, Starsky and Hutch and Reno 911!: Miami, and provided the voice for Remy the Rat in Pixar's Oscar-winning Ratatouille. Later this month, Patton will make his dramatic debut on the big screen as Paul Aufiero in Big Fan, the directorial debut of writer Robert Siegel (The Wrestler). Oswalt will also appear in Steven Soderbergh's feature film The Informant, and recently appeared in Observe and Report with Seth Rogan.
His many television roles include Spence on The King of Queens on CBS for nine seasons as well as appearing on Seinfeld, Reaper, Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job! Oswalt is also recurring again on the second season of Showtime's The United States of Tara. He is a regular contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Real Time with Bill Maher and Lewis Black's Root of All Evil.

07/27/2009

SYFY has announced the air date for its highly-anticipated upcoming series Caprica. On Friday, January 22nd @ 9 p.m., the show will kick off with a two-hour premiere and will air regularly on subsequent Fridays @ 10 p.m.
Humanity's storyline takes completely new twists with Caprica, which follows two rival families and their patriarchs -Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) - as they compete and thrive in the vibrant realm of the Twelve Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. This original, standalone series will feature the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, and family conflict in an omnipotent society that is at the height of its blind power and glory...and, unknowingly, on the brink of its fall.
[caption id="attachment_2240" align="aligncenter" width="202" caption="Caprica's Eric Stoltz (Daniel Graystone) and Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone). Photo by Evans Ward and copyright of The Syfy Channel"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2241" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Esai Morales (Joseph Adama) with Caprica writer/executive producer Jane Espenson. Photo by Evans Ward and copyright of The Syfy Channel"][/caption]
Caprica also stars Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Magda Apanowicz (Lacy) and Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone). The series is from Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson. Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed the pilot.
As noted above, photos by Evans Ward and copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!